THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WILL SHAPE THE NEXT FORTY

Yellowknife is facing extraordinary opportunity and very real pressure at the same time.

My dad had a grade four education and came to Yellowknife as a young Irish immigrant. Before arriving here, he had travelled and worked labour jobs around the world. My mom came from Saskatchewan. She left high school before graduating, trained as a hairdresser and made the trip north with a girlfriend after hearing from friends that Yellowknife was a place of opportunity.

They arrived in the late 1960s. Yellowknife had dusty roads, large sections of undeveloped land and few guarantees. My parents did not understand all the workings of government, economic development or infrastructure planning. They simply felt that this was a place where young people could work hard, build something of their own and make a life together.

They were dreamers, and Yellowknife gave both of them the opportunity to make many of those dreams come true. Dad founded and operated Igloo Real Estate & Insurance, and mom founded and operated Northern Flair Beauty Salon.

I have lived my life here, watched the city grow and change, served two terms on city council and later represented Yellowknife North in the Legislative Assembly. I have spent much of my career in business, construction and infrastructure development. After all of those experiences, I still try to look at Yellowknife through the eyes of the young people who arrive here today.

Do they feel the same hope my parents felt? Can they look at this city and believe that they can build a career, start a business, own a home, have kids and create a good life here?

The decisions we make over the next four years will help determine the answer.

A VOTE AT A TURNING POINT

On Monday, Yellowknife elected a new mayor and council. Melissa Syer received a decisive mandate, while the eight Councillors elected represent a mix of returning members, previous political experience and new voices.

Municipal elections are not partisan, and Yellowknife voters do not all think alike. But several common themes ran through the campaign: affordability, public safety, responsible spending, economic uncertainty, housing development, critical infrastructure and the basic services people expect from their city.

In my view, voters were asking for practical leadership. They want a council that can deal with the pressures residents are experiencing today while preparing Yellowknife for what may be one of the most important periods in its history.

The new council includes people with municipal, territorial, business, legal, tourism, infrastructure, Indigenous and community experience. Cody Drygeese finished first among council candidates, another reminder that Indigenous voices and relationships are central to the future of Yellowknife.

The public will now expect this council to make decisions, explain those decisions and show progress. That does not mean every problem can be solved immediately. It means residents want the City to concentrate on the responsibilities it controls and use its influence effectively on the ones it does not.

The next four years will not be an ordinary municipal term. Yellowknife must manage the daily work of running a city while preparing for major changes in its economy, population, infrastructure and relationships with other governments.

OPPORTUNITY AND ANXIETY CAN BOTH BE REAL

Yellowknife is not simply prosperous or struggling, optimistic or anxious, growing or declining. Right now, it is all of those things at once.

National attention has shifted toward the Arctic. Defence, sovereignty, critical minerals, transportation and energy infrastructure have moved higher on Canada’s agenda. Billions of dollars are being discussed, and Yellowknife will be involved in much of what happens next.

Businesses see the opportunity. Indigenous governments and development corporations see it. Young Northerners can imagine careers, businesses and partnerships that may not have existed here before.

But announcements are not construction contracts, jobs or pay cheques. Much of the money has not yet reached budgets, procurement or construction. At the same time, the economy that supported the Northwest Territories for the past three decades is changing quickly.

Both realities are true. It is reasonable to be excited about what may be coming and nervous about whether it will arrive soon enough.

The next period of Northern development must also be different from the periods that came before it. Much of Canada’s growth was built while Indigenous people carried many of the costs and were excluded from important decisions and economic benefits. We cannot repeat that pattern.

Indigenous governments and development corporations are increasingly project owners, investors, employers and decision-makers. Young Indigenous Northerners should not have to choose between their culture, their connection to the land and participation in a modern economy. A successful Northern future will allow those things to strengthen one another while advancing Indigenous ownership and self-determination.

That is one of the reasons leadership matters. The opportunity is not simply to build projects. It is to build a stronger and more inclusive Northern economy around them.

A MODERN CAPITAL WITH PROBLEMS WE HAVE NOT SOLVED

Yellowknife often surprises people when they visit for the first time.

In the middle of the North is a modern capital with high-rises, shops, restaurants, government offices, cultural organizations, construction companies, professional services, tourism businesses and many of the amenities people expect in a Southern city. On a busy day downtown, it can be easy to forget just how remote we are.

There is a reason people come here for a couple years and end up staying for many more. Yellowknife offers strong careers, good incomes, close relationships, outdoor opportunities and a sense of community that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

Then we walk around a corner and see people living with homelessness, addictions, mental illness and despair. Residents and visitors can see the difference between what Yellowknife has achieved and the problems we have still not been able to solve.

The people experiencing those conditions cannot be treated as hard-cases or used to make a political point. They are members of our community, and their circumstances often involve housing, health care, addictions treatment, policing, income support and other responsibilities that extend well beyond municipal government.

But the City still has a role. Public safety, municipal enforcement, downtown planning, recreation, transit, partnerships and the management of public spaces all affect how residents, tourists, businesses and vulnerable people experience Yellowknife.

The frustration comes partly from knowing that we have considerable resources, capable people and strong institutions. We can see what Yellowknife is and what it could become, which makes it harder to accept that some conditions have continued to worsen.

THE ECONOMY WE HAD AND THE ECONOMY WE ARE WAITING FOR

Yellowknife has been fortunate before.

The gold mines at Giant and Con helped build the city. As many have said, Yellowknife's streets are paved with gold, literally.

As that era declined, diamonds arrived and created another period of employment, business development and territorial growth. The timing allowed Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories to move from one major economic foundation to another. Remember, we were "The Diamond Capital of North America"!

We cannot assume that good timing will happen again.

Diavik completed production in March after 23 years. Over its lifespan, the mine invested approximately $8 billion in the North and contributed nearly 10 per cent of territorial GDP. Ekati later entered receivership after a failling to find a viable buyer. Gahcho Kué remains in production, but a planned expansion was paused because of difficult market conditions, and De Beers has now assumed full ownership of the mine.

This is not how many Northerners expected the diamond era to end. Diavik reached the end of its economic reserves, but broader problems with natural diamond prices, operating costs and changing global markets have placed pressure on the entire industry.

The Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is not currently planned for 2027. For the first time in decades, that means no regular winter program supporting road construction, security, trucking and other contracts. More than $20 million has typically been spent each year building and maintaining the road. The road may return, but its pause is another visible sign of how quickly the diamond economy is changing.

At the same time, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, the Taltson Hydro Expansion and major defence investments are being advanced. Canada has identified $32 billion in infrastructure upgrades across Yellowknife, Inuvik, Iqaluit and Goose Bay, along with a separate $2.67-billion Northern Operational Support Hubs program. Not all of that money will be spent in the Northwest Territories, and it will not arrive all at once, but the scale of the national commitment is significant.

The opportunity is real, but so is the gap.

The greatest economic risk may not be that the major projects never arrive. It may be that too much of our existing workforce, business capacity and population leaves before they do. Once people move south, purchase homes, find employment and enroll their children in new schools, it becomes extremely difficult to bring them back.

We can see the next economy taking shape, but we are not yet living in it. Bridging that period must be a priority for the City, the GNWT, Indigenous governments and the federal government.

AFFORDABILITY IS ABOUT MORE THAN INCOME

Yellowknife has comparatively strong wages. Government, mining, construction, health care and professional employers often provide competitive salaries, benefits and pensions because they must attract and retain people in a high cost Northern community.

But a good income does not prevent a household from moving backwards.

People measure affordability through their own lives. Can they pay their mortgage or rent, heat their home, buy groceries, operate a vehicle, save for retirement and still enjoy some of the things they worked hard to afford? Can they take a family vacation, enroll their children in activities or manage an unexpected repair without relying on credit?

When a household earns slightly more but can afford less, it does not experience that as progress. It experiences a decline in its standard of living.

For lower-income households, seniors on fixed incomes and people already struggling, the consequences are far more serious. Rising food, housing, heat and transportation costs can determine whether basic needs are met at all.

Affordability is not determined only by what people earn. It is determined by what remains after the basic costs of living in the North have been paid.

The City cannot control grocery prices, mortgage rates or every force affecting the Northern economy. But it does control property taxes, municipal fees, spending priorities, land development, permitting and many of the services residents use every day. It can also advocate for Yellowknife and work with other governments on housing, energy, transportation and economic development.

Affordability is not separate from economic development. If workers and families cannot afford to remain in Yellowknife, we will not have the people, businesses or community capacity needed to deliver the next economy.

BIG PROJECTS DO NOT REPLACE THE BASICS

Major investment does not reduce the importance of basic municipal services. It increases it.

The City is already advancing a major water supply project involving new intake infrastructure, improvements to its pumphouses and greater capacity to serve future growth. The existing system includes an eight-kilometer underwater line from the Yellowknife River, and key parts of that system are aging. This is not optional infrastructure. Reliable drinking water is one of the most basic responsibilities a city has.

Yellowknife must also consider the water, sewer, roads and other services required to support planned DND development near the airport. At the same time, the City still has its regular capital program, neighbourhood infrastructure, recreation facilities, public-safety responsibilities and everyday service demands.

Residents are not saying the City should stop growing or refuse new responsibilities. They are asking it to establish clear priorities and demonstrate that money, staff and attention are being directed toward the work that matters most.

Responsible spending does not always mean spending less. A growing city responsible for more housing, more infrastructure and more major projects will likely require additional staff and expertise. Trying to manage substantially more work with fewer people is not automatically efficient.

The test is whether added capacity is tied to clear responsibilities and measurable results. Growth in administration cannot become a substitute for delivery, and lower priority initiatives cannot continually compete with essential infrastructure and core services.

Big opportunities do not excuse government from getting the basics right. They make getting the basics right even more important.

CITY HALL MUST BE READY TOO

The City has recognized that major projects require a different level of coordination. It has established a Major Projects and Opportunities Secretariat, including the ability to support municipal infrastructure needed for DND development. That is a reasonable response to work that cannot simply be added to an already full municipal workload.

Creating a new office is only one part of readiness. Residents and businesses should notice that government is becoming easier to deal with and better able to deliver.

Permitting is one example. Someone building a home or commercial property may need approvals from the City and several departments of the GNWT. The person sees one project, while government sees multiple departments and jurisdictions.

The City and GNWT should consider whether Yellowknife could offer one coordinated development service where residents, business owners and developers receive a complete list of requirements, a clear point of contact and reliable information about the progress of their project. The City could provide the public-facing service while the appropriate territorial departments retain their jurisdictional authority behind it.

The specific model would require careful work, but the principle is simple: people should not have to carry information between governments and departments that ought to be communicating with each other.

The same principle applies more broadly. Public safety, housing, infrastructure, economic development and social services all cross organizational and jurisdictional lines. Residents care about the outcome, not which government’s organizational chart places the responsibility in which box.

This may also be the right time to examine whether the legislation governing Yellowknife still provides the City with the authority and tools it needs. That could mean modernizing parts of the Cities, Towns and Villages Act or considering whether a city charter would better recognize Yellowknife’s growing responsibilities. A charter may not necessarily be the answer, but the question is worth asking.

Whatever structure is chosen, it will depend on stronger relationships.

The City will need a close working relationship with DND and other federal departments, but the relationship between the City and GNWT will be equally important. Those relationships must exist among elected leaders, senior administrators and the people delivering services.

City Councillors and Yellowknife MLAs should meet regularly. The City should maintain structured and respectful engagement with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and other Indigenous governments and organizations connected to Yellowknife. There may also be value in periodic discussions that bring municipal, territorial and Indigenous leadership together around shared priorities.

These should not be meetings for the sake of meetings. They should identify what needs to be done, who is responsible and when progress will be reported. Residents should be able to see that their governments are working together.

There has been a long-standing perception that the City and GNWT too often approach each other as opposing sides. Whether that perception is always fair is less important than the fact that it exists. The new council and territorial leadership have an opportunity to change it through mature, consistent and visible cooperation.

Yellowknife is the territorial capital and a major center for commerce, culture, education, health care, government and economic activity. Recognizing that role does not diminish the importance of other NWT communities. A strong capital can support regional services, businesses and opportunities throughout the territory.

The work ahead will be difficult enough without governments placing unnecessary roadblocks in one another’s way.

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WILL SHAPE THE NEXT FORTY

Yellowknife has been presented with an opportunity that communities across Canada would welcome.

The future could include major defence activity, new transportation corridors, expanded clean energy, renewed mining and exploration, more housing, a stronger downtown, new education opportunities and the redevelopment of important lands such as Giant and Con.

But that future is not guaranteed simply because it has been announced.

Leadership will determine whether Yellowknife can retain its people through the economic transition, keep the city affordable, improve public safety, deliver essential infrastructure, welcome development and build effective relationships with Indigenous, territorial and federal governments.

Having sat on both city council and in the Legislative Assembly, I know those decisions will not always be popular or easy. There will be pressure to do more than the City can reasonably deliver, and there will be disagreement about which priorities should come first.

That is why leadership matters.

Yellowknife is not choosing between looking after the city we have and preparing for the city we may become. We must do both, and our ability to achieve one will depend on how well we manage the other.

When I look at young people in Yellowknife today, I do not expect them to understand every government process, billion-dollar announcement or geopolitical issue affecting the Arctic. They are thinking about education, careers, friendships, housing, business opportunities and what kind of life they may want to build.

Young Indigenous Northerners should see themselves as leaders, owners and participants in the projects and technologies ahead while maintaining their culture, identity and connection to the land. Young people arriving from elsewhere should understand that joining the North means contributing to its communities and respecting the people who have always called it home.

Most of all, I want them to feel the same sense of possibility my parents felt when they arrived.

My parents did not come north because success was guaranteed. They came because Yellowknife gave them a credible reason to believe that hard work and a little courage could lead to something better. They found each other, built careers, started businesses and made a life here.

That sense of hope is part of what built Yellowknife. It should also be part of what guides us now.

The council elected this week will serve for four years. Some of the choices it makes could help the next generation build its future here for the next forty.